2017 Bulldogs Leave A Legacy

On Thursday night the Boiling Springs Class of 2017 graduated but their impact on the Bulldogs athletic program has left a mark that future classes will look to build upon. “I said to everyone at our spring banquet the other night that I hope the underclassmen have watched how this senior class has led this year,” said Boiling Springs Athletic Director Hal McManus, “This senior class has not only been leaders athletically but also in the classroom. They will be able to say that they’ve accomplished things that people before them have never done.”

The 2017 class was the first graduating class from Boiling Springs High School to compete athletically at the 5A level in South Carolina and they made quite the mark. In the first season of 5A athletics the Bulldogs captured eight region championships in the inaugural Region III-5A, claimed one Upper State championship, four individual state championships, and one team state championship. It was a banner year for the Boiling Springs athletic department as twenty of the twenty-two varsity teams all made it to the playoffs. The Bulldogs had seventy-six athletes be named All-Region, fourteen All-State players, thirteen players compete in All-Star games, plus five coaches and five players be named either region coach or player of the year.

“I think it’s really neat for our teams to be able to say ‘We’re the first ever 5A Upper State football champions or say we’re the first ever 5A golf state champions’. I also believe that Region III-5A is the toughest region in the state of South Carolina in every sport and would put it up against any other region. You can see that with just the success the region teams have had in the playoffs.” said Coach McManus. “So for our teams to go out and claim eight region championships against teams like Byrnes, Dorman, Spartanburg, and Gaffney who are some of the most storied programs in South Carolina really tells me where we’re at. We’re still not where we want to be and we’re going to continue to improve but when you talk about 5A athletics in the state of South Carolina we have to be in the conversation now and I’m extremely proud of that.”

The 2017 Bulldogs didn’t only succeed on the athletic fields though as they also excelled in the classroom. The Bulldogs will have thirty-three athletes competing on the collegiate level next season. “We’re here because of academics and Boiling Springs has always been well known for their academics. To be a great student athlete you have to be able to put a lot of time in to both your athletics and academics and we stress to our kids how important academics are.” added Coach McManus. “The way these kids have excelled athletically this year and still been so successful on the academic side as an athletic director I couldn’t be more proud.”

The 2017 class will always be a memorable one for the Boiling Springs community for not only their success but the excitement that they brought to the community and the bar that they’ve set for future generations. “I’ve really enjoyed in the four years that I’ve been here to see the excitement in the faces of the kids to compete and to see the excitement in our student sections and how important all of our teams have been to our community,” said Coach McManus, “For these kids to put the effort in to be successful and say we’re going to do something special here at Boiling Springs and then do it has been great to see. We now have a lot of respect in the state of South Carolina and people will want to know where Boiling Springs it at because we’re coming.”